International Symposium on Cultural Diplomacy & Religion 2014

"The Promotion of World Peace through Inter-Faith Dialogue & the Unity of Faiths"

(Rome, Italy; March 31st - April 3rd, 2014)

Symposium Agenda

The Symposium will focus on the following issues:

The Role of Inter-faith Dialogue in Peace Building

Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, and Judaism in the Global Community

Cultural Diplomacy & the Unity of Faiths

International Symposium on Cultural Diplomacy 2009

"The Role of Soft Power in the International Environment"

(Berlin, July 27th - 31st, 2009)

International Symposium on Cultural Diplomacy 2010

"Culture, Globalization, and International Relations over the next Two Decades"

(Berlin, May 23rd - 30th, 2010)

Symposium Overview

The International Symposium on Religion & Cultural Diplomacy will focus on "The Promotion of World Peace through Interfaith Dialogue & the Unity of Faiths" and highlight the importance of religious interchange as a vehicle for World Peace. The potential role religion plays in the promotion of global peace and stability will be outlined, with the aim to exemplify the positive and demonstrative effect it can bear in impacting society.

Religion can be used as a major force of unification between divergent factions; through the analysis and promotion of inter-faith dialogue, the Symposium will illustrate the key role religion plays in facilitating mutual understanding and tolerance of varying spiritual affiliations. The overall objective of the Symposium will be to demonstrate how inter-faith dialogue can be used as an effective tool in promoting global peace and reconciliation, and the power of religion to bring varying groups together in order to establish and maintain constructive channels of communication and sustainable collaboration.

Symposium Locations

Based in Rome & the Vatican City, the Symposium will be hosted at a number of important political, historic, and cultural locations across the city, and will consist of excursions to the country's top institutions and landmarks.

Participation in the Symposium is open to governmental & diplomatic officials, civil society practitioners, young professionals and students as well as other interested individuals from across the world.

If you would like to reserve a position and participate in the Symposium, please click on the link below and fill out the online application form:

Speakers and delegates during the symposium will include leading politicians, chief diplomats, leading governmental officials, senior academics, renowned authors, journalists, and celebrated artists. These speakers will include a large number of individuals from the ICD Advisory Board. To learn more about the ICD Advisory Board, please click here.

Speakers & Delegates for the Symposium include:

Hon. Franco Frattini
Former Foreign Minister of Italy

Sen. Linda Lanzillotta
Vice President of the Italian Senate

President Angelo Farrugia
Speaker of the Parliament of Malta

Mufti dr. Aziz ef. Hasanović
President of Meshihat of Islamic Community in Croatia

Archbishop Ignazio Sanna
Archbishop of Oristano, Italy

H.E Husein ef. Kavazovic
Grand Mufti of Bosnia & Herzegovina

President Stjepan Mesić
Former President of Croatia

Hon. José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
Former Prime Minister of Spain

Sen. Mihai Razvan Ungureanu
Former Prime Minister of Romania

Sen. Ivana Simeoni
Member of the Italian Senate

Sultan Muhammad Saad Abubakar
Sultan of Sokoto, Nigeria

MP. Reinhold Lopatka
Member of the Austrian Parliament

Sheikh Akhmed Tamim
Mufti of Ukraine

H.E Metropolitan Stephano of Tallinn
Primate of the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church

Sen. Lucio Malan
Member of the Italian Senate

MP Marta Grande
Member of the Italian Parliament

MP Tomislav Karamarko
Leader of the Opposition, Croatia

MEP Sandra Zampa
Member of the European Parliament

MP Sandro Gozi
Member of the Italian Parliament

Bishop Kjeld Holm
Bishop of Aarhus, Denmark

Rev. Olivier Reigen Wang Genh
President of the Buddhist Union of France

Certificate of Attendance

All Symposium participants will be awarded an official Certificate of Attendance upon completion of the program, which will provide details of the high-profile speakers who took part in the event, and list the topics which were discussed. Each certificate will be signed by two members of the vast ICD Advisory Board.

Symposium Agenda

The Symposium will employ thorough examinations and in-depth analyses of past and present occurrences of conflict in order to propose solutions and explore the use and potential of inter-faith dialogue to promote discourse with the ultimate goal of world peace promotion. The Symposium will unite religious leaders together with politicians, diplomats, and academics in order to create cultural platforms for dialogue between nation states and leaders; the event will emphasize the necessity for such global players in joining together to commit to open inter-faith dialogue.

The Symposium will focus in particular on the following areas:

Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, and Judaism in the Global Community

The Role of Inter-faith Dialogue in Peace Building & Reconciliation

Challenges and Opportunities for World Leaders Promoting Inter-faith Dialogue

The Application of Cultural Diplomacy in Promoting Inter-faith Dialogue

The Conference Committee encourages academic research and analysis of issues related to the goals of the Conference. The Conference Committee would therefore like to welcome the participants of the conference to submit a paper they would like to be considered for presentation at the conference as well as being included in the proposal document that will be issued following the conference and will be sent to all governments and leaders of the international community worldwide.

During the program participants will have a number of opportunities to network with one another, with the speakers, and with ICD Advisory Board Members and partners. Conference participants will become part of the ICD Alumni, a growing international network of people of diverse interests and backgrounds from around the world who share a commitment to intercultural exchange. Members of the ICD Alumni Group will benefit from the following opportunities: Alumni online forum, Advisory Board Networking, ICD support for individual Leadership Initiatives, free access to all ICD research, videos and photos as well as other event documentation. Participants will be able to remain in touch with each other through the ICD Networks. (more »)